THE LOOK-IT-UP BOOK OF PRESIDENTS

Chronological collective biography, each entry accompanied by a fullpage portrait, some featuring one or more scenes from the subject's life; altogether, almost half the book is illustration, evocative rather than documentary, but sometimes quite effective. The narration sticks close to subject-predicate primerese, the comments are more mature: every president isn't a hero. Further, the text ignores trivia to present an adequate account of each man's career and accomplishments. Some interpretations are arguable (particularly so are the remarks on LBJ and the Vietnam War) but on the whole this is no worse than many for this age level and better than some.